I’ve just finished not one but TWO wonderful escapist yarns.
The first one’s title, That Ain’t Witchcraft, is really puzzling. Yes the tale involves witchcraft and also NOT witchcraft but whether something is or isn’t witchcraft is about 35 lightyears away from what the story's actually about. The title sounds/looks like something that a team of marketeers, who hadn’t read the book OR its synopsis, spitballed at the end of a long, hard day.
If the author, Seanan McGuire came up with the name, I can only imagine she landed on it after a long stretch of feeling abysmally stuck (WHAT should I name this damn thing?!), having a few drinks or more and realizing that she was beyond caring whether it made sense or not.
Having said this, it was a fun, FUN, engaging tale about alternate dimensions, bizarre family secrets, the perils of making reckless, impetuous bargains, equality, acceptance, tolerance and survival. Also too, the hero’s a kickass, sharp-tongued chick and she’s NOT running around, saving the day whilst kitted out in Vallejo/Frazetta butt-floss bikinis either. 
Cryptid, noun:
1. Any creature whose existence has been suggested but not proven scientifically. Term officially coined by cryptozoologist John E. Wall in 1983.
2. That thing that’s getting ready to eat your head.
3. See also: “monster.”See! A rollicking diversion – just what I needed.
The second was Fredric Brown’s Martians, Go Home. Basically, Martians invade, billions of em all at once. They’re obnoxious as all hell – bullies like TrumpTrolls and BernieBros put together. There’s no escaping them and privacy, ANY and ALL privacy, is history. Sounds horrific, no? And yet this is a light, comedic novel.
It came out in 1954 (set in the near future of ’64!), and, though it was described as a classic (by Galaxy Mag), you’re not likely to find it in bookstores and maybe not even in your local library. In fact, copies of it go, online, for hundreds of buckos. Jen managed to snag mine for a slim fin – lucky broad (lucky ME)! While this was a big fun read, a fab little escape, I just canNOT imagine paying $250 for it. That kind of financial outlay is reserved for more serious matters like heating bills, groceries and the like.
Next on the book pile? Not sure but it’s sure to be more fluff. I just don’t have the bandwidth for anything else right now.
I'll take dibs on Martians Go Home - sounds like a fun bit of no-mind-required fluff. But it'll have to wait a while. I just started N. K. Jemison's Broken Earth trilogy. Each of the books won a Hugo in three sequential years - first time any writer, let alone a black female writer, has pulled that off - but they're each a bit of a tome. Maybe after I read the first one, I'll read some fluff as a palate cleanser before I plunge into the next opus.
ReplyDeleteI'm interested in hearing more about the Broken Earth books. It'll be awhile though before I crave more than fluff. As for Martians, Go Home – that's already gone. Passed it on to Jen's 17 year old nephew. We have similar tastes. He'll probably mature out of it though, unlike me :-)
DeleteLibraries are amazing. My local joint only has the audio book of Martians, Go Home BUT they also have a print copy of "Martians and madness: the complete SF novels of Fredric Brown." So I get Martians, Go Home plus whatever other space silliness he produced. On my endless to-be-read list it goes.
DeleteCool!
Delete